O ensino de geometria espacial na educação básica em escolas públicas da cidade de Alenquer/PA: desafios e estratégias

Abstract

The present research aims primarily to obtain a general overview of a group of Mathematics teachers in Basic Education regarding their academic background, professional context, and teaching experience. Additionally, it seeks to highlight the main challenges they face and the strategies they employ in their classrooms, specifically when addressing topics related to spatial geometry in the final years of Elementary School and in High School. Based on responses to a questionnaire administered to the group, Discursive Textual Analysis (DTA) was employed as the analytical methodology to address the guiding question: What suggestions do a group of Basic Education mathematics teachers offer when asked about the most effective way to teach spatial geometry content in order to overcome the main challenges encountered in the classroom? The research findings detail the teaching practices of these educators, shedding light on the difficulties they face while also proposing suitable strategies and methods to encourage students to explore and discover geometric concepts through a variety of activities. Through DTA, the participants' responses led to the identification of emerging categories that reveal common teaching approaches. These categories are as follows: C1 – Investment in School Infrastructure; C2 – Strengthening Human Interactions in the Educational Process; C3 – Use of Concrete and Virtual Resources; C4 – Teaching Strategies from a Differentiated Perspective. These methodologies enable the contextualization of content and encourage students' autonomy and critical thinking, fostering a more engaging and practical learning experience. Active family involvement, support from specialized professionals, school infrastructure, and teacher motivation were highlighted as crucial factors in stimulating students' interest and helping them overcome learning difficulties. Based on these findings, it is possible to conclude that improving the teaching of Spatial Geometry requires a collective effort among teachers, school administrators, and educational public policies.